Apps & Smartphones news

• AI school essay cheating set to be exposed by watermarks

  12-08-2026 07:15 via theage.com.au
  
  School essays generated by Anthropic AI would be easily and reliably flagged, thanks to an invisible watermarking system detailed by the company.
  
  Read more

• The other Australian Wolverine: Liam McIntyre on donning the adamantium claws

  22-08-2026 22:00 via smh.com.au
  
  More than 25 years after Hugh Jackman first portrayed the character, another Aussie actor is stepping into the yellow armour of one of Marvel’s most violent and most popular heroes in Sony’s upcoming video game.
  
  Read more

• This ‘AI refuser’ quit her dream job, and hopes others follow

  21-08-2026 21:00 via theage.com.au
  
  Gabrielle Boyle resigned three days before the AFL switched on Microsoft’s AI assistant, having been told she couldn’t opt out.
  
  Read more

• How Meta paid influencers to counter fears Instagram damages teens

  21-08-2026 07:26 via smh.com.au
  
  A US-based watchdog has been tracking the Instagram parent’s influencer activities and sponsored posts.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘Cannot mark their own homework’: Roblox forced to fix child safety gaps

  19-08-2026 21:00 via smh.com.au
  
  Regulator testing found adults could send connection requests to young Australian children without a parent’s consent.
  
  Read more

• AI bots will turn online shopping on its head, says payments giant

  19-08-2026 10:00 via smh.com.au
  
  If the forecast holds, it would unwind the way online shopping has worked since the 1990s.
  
  Read more

• AI bots will make more online purchases than people, payments giant predicts

  19-08-2026 10:00 via theage.com.au
  
  If the forecast holds, it would unwind the way online shopping has worked since the 1990s.
  
  Read more

• WiseTech raided by competition watchdog, smashing shares

  19-08-2026 05:50 via theage.com.au
  
  It’s now the third regulator or police force to investigate the embattled software company or its billionaire founder.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Need a tow? SpaceX rocket taken to Christmas Island after splashdown

  19-08-2026 02:16 via smh.com.au
  
  Elon Musk’s SpaceX had faced difficulties retrieving the 52-metre-long spacecraft which had sat in the Indian Ocean for almost a month.
  
  Read more

• Watch: Chinese company unveils ‘Superman’ robot that it says is faster than Usain Bolt

  18-08-2026 02:28 via smh.com.au
  
  Days before its highly anticipated debut on China’s sharemarket, Unitree shows off its high-speed robot that it said it built in three months and “breaks the limits of humanity”.
  
  Read more

• ‘The AI is fake, but the love is real’: Chatbot romance is booming

  17-08-2026 21:00 via smh.com.au
  
  Chouwa Liang says she spent a month in love with a chatbot called Norman. Her experience is increasingly normal.
  
  Read more

• Tech prices have spiked up to 50 per cent. AI is to blame

  17-08-2026 03:52 via theage.com.au
  
  Investors reacted swiftly as JB Hi-Fi noted a major dip in sales in the second half as a result of ongoing price rises and supply issues.
  
  Read more

• JB Hi-Fi shares plunge as it warns of AI-driven tech squeeze

  17-08-2026 03:52 via theage.com.au
  
  Investors reacted swiftly as the retailer noted a major dip in sales in the second half as a result of ongoing price rises and supply issues.
  
  Read more

• The simple trick to staying connected abroad in 2026

  17-08-2026 01:32 via theage.com.au
  
  This simple switch flips the script on international travel.
  
  Read more

• Feature fatigue: Do we really need more AI gimmicks on our phones?

  16-08-2026 05:49 via theage.com.au
  
  Prices are going up, companies are having a harder time with manufacturing, but at least the Google Pixel 11 Pro has a new light.
  
  Read more

• Sobering markdown: Canva slashes valuation by $10b as AI reality bites

  14-08-2026 07:30 via smh.com.au
  
  For years, Canva has been the undisputed darling of the local start-up scene, carrying the expectations of an entire industry.
  
  Read more

• ‘Accountability rests with me’: Telstra boss rakes in $6.8m but Triple Zero outage costs her

  13-08-2026 03:57 via smh.com.au
  
  Vicki Brady’s pay package rose 11 per cent for a financial year that ended three weeks before the nationwide outage that cut off Triple Zero calls, but the incident did hit her hip pocket.
  
  Read more

• Telstra boss rakes in $6.8m in year of 1200 job cuts, but Triple Zero outage costs her

  13-08-2026 01:56 via smh.com.au
  
  Vicki Brady’s pay package rose 11 per cent for a financial year that ended three weeks before the nationwide outage that cut off Triple Zero calls, but the incident did hit her hip pocket.
  
  Read more

• Telstra boss rakes in $6.8m in year of 1200 job cuts, but outage costs her

  13-08-2026 01:56 via theage.com.au
  
  Vicki Brady’s package rose 11 per cent for a financial year that ended three weeks before the nationwide outage that cut off Triple Zero calls, but the incident did hit her pay packet.
  
  Read more

• Telstra boss lands 11pc pay rise in year of 1200 job cuts

  13-08-2026 00:49 via smh.com.au
  
  Vicki Brady’s package rose to $6.8m for a financial year that ended three weeks before the nationwide outage that cut off Triple Zero calls.
  
  Read more

• This Australian could hand Musk a trillion-dollar payday

  12-08-2026 10:00 via theage.com.au
  
  An accountant from Sydney’s south-west sits between Elon Musk and the largest pay packet in corporate history.
  
  Read more

• May the choice be with you: The next great Star Wars story might be a game

  11-08-2026 16:01 via theage.com.au
  
  Star Wars: Zero Company blends deep tactical combat with personal relationships, creating a Clone Wars adventure in which every soldier counts.
  
  Read more

• Why Grand Theft Auto’s Netflix deal is creating controversy

  11-08-2026 11:10 via theage.com.au
  
  Eager players will get their first look at the blockbuster game early on August 28. There’s just one catch.
  
  Read more

• Meta releases new AI model as Zuckerberg writes 6500-word essay on the future

  10-08-2026 21:50 via theage.com.au
  
  Facebook’s owner introduced a new, downloadable AI model that can run on a personal computer, along with a lengthy manifesto by its chief executive.
  
  Read more

• How to spot if something has been written by AI

  09-08-2026 05:00 via theage.com.au
  
  With every update, AI writing is becoming more similar to human prose. But there are still ways it exposes itself.
  
  Read more

• A company let an AI bot run its store. It’s been a bit of a disaster

  07-08-2026 09:35 via theage.com.au
  
  The human employees seem to like the AI agent in charge, but there have been a few issues. For example, it seems unbothered by the whole point of the operation: making money.
  
  Read more

• Mike Cannon-Brookes’ fortune jumps $2.6 billion in just hours

  07-08-2026 08:39 via theage.com.au
  
  “AI is the best thing that has happened to Atlassian,” Cannon-Brookes said after a quarter that eased fears artificial intelligence would eat its business.
  
  Read more

• ‘Specs offenders’: $89 Kmart glasses spark privacy nightmare

  07-08-2026 07:38 via theage.com.au
  
  Michelle Rowland has asked the privacy commissioner to prioritise smart glasses, citing the risks to women and children from covert recording.
  
  Read more

• GenAI war continues as Alexa+ upgrades Amazon’s smart home

  06-08-2026 11:45 via theage.com.au
  
  Generative AI models and smart home ecosystems are on an inevitable collision course.
  
  Read more

• Everyone is talking about the AI boom. When it busts, this is who will go down

  06-08-2026 07:30 via theage.com.au
  
  Experts say a bust is coming. The US will not withstand an AI collapse, but China will.
  
  Read more

Follow @Apps_Smrtphones on Twitter!